The 31st annual Swamp Fest was held on the first weekend in March. The first two days, the festival was blessed with nice cloud cover, which kept the temperature mild. It rained on Saturday night, but during the event, there was just an early morning sprinkle. Sunday was warmer, but it only drizzled for a moment.
This festival has many vendors and food trucks. You can buy decorations for your house, stuffies for presents, cocktails, and beer. There was an opportunity to meet politicians running for office and talk to the Democratic and Republican parties. There were fresh produce and fruits as well as jams and hot sauces.
This was the first time that Swamp Fest included alcohol. Each person who ordered alcohol received a wristband, which limited them to two drinks.
There were many raffles and wonderful music, and all the people were very kind. There was a stage with bands playing throughout the event.
The county government was well represented with Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hernando County Recycling, Parks and Recreation, Sea Grant, Water Ways, Stormwater and Mosquito Control. This was an opportunity to talk with county services and have your questions answered.
The snake venom team was there with a couple of dangerous local snakes in cages. They explained that the venom of the snakes is different by age and location, even for the same species of snake. This means that antivenom is usually less effective if it is from a snake from a different area. This is why it is important to have local antivenom.
The Hernando County Fire Corps was in attendance with the smoke house. The Fire Corps are volunteers who support the Fire Department. They also provide CPR training. The smoke house simulates what the conditions are in a fire and allows children to experience escaping from a fire.
There was a best swamp monster contest with seven contestants. Three of the contestants were late arrivals, so the event had to be delayed until they could show up. The judges were some of the businesses sponsoring the event and they chose the three children who entered as winners.
There were many volunteers who helped out with the raffles and cleaning up around the park. There were golf cart shuttles to take some people from their cars to the event. There was also off-site parking on Cortez with a shuttle to the event.
The event was very successful, raising significant money for numerous local charities. Some of the beneficiaries of the money raised are Hernando Environmental Land Protectors (H.E.L.P.), Weeki Wachee Area Club, and Weeki Wachee Crime Watch, which are all local non-profit organizations.
